I just edited and published part I of Jonathan Gault's NCAA women's xc preview and was blown away by the following:
JGault wrote:
Yes. Last year the Bisons (I'll admit, I had to look up their nickname) made NCAAs for the first time in program history and finished a surprising 11th. Coach Nick Polk, who was hired in 2019, said it took several years for the program to reach this point, but it was a result he felt was possible after the team finished 10th at the Nuttycombe Invitational last season.
"I think just being able to slowly build something sustainable over time through recruiting the right kids was probably the biggest piece, the kids that fit Lipscomb University culturally," Polk said. "We didn’t have a single transfer on the line and we didn’t have a single international kid on the line."
11th at NCAAs with zero foreigners and zero transfers at a school most people have never heard of. That's SUPER impressive!!
So can we all agree that Nick Polk is our 2023 NCAA women's xc coach of the year? Afterall, I've been reading on this board nonstop for the last weeks that if you have overaged runners or foreigners or transfers, you are not coaching as you aren't developing talent - you're just buying it.
All right, let's figure out who gets the honor for the men.
It looks like the award goes to Jason Vigilante of Princeton. The Tigers were also 11th at NCAAs with no transfers, no foreigners and no overaged guys. Now Princeton gets LOTS of talent. Do we still want to give my alma mater the award?
I do think this would be fun every year at NCAAs we figure out who is #1 team with all-Americans, no transfers and no overaged guys/gals (although it might include no teams or just the top Ivy team given how prominent the portal is nowadays).
But congrats to Lipscomb. Amazing stuff. For the record, they do have a big transfer this year so it's not like they are opposed to it.
He must be a spectacular coach to willingly handicap his team like that with only American runners. This is brilliant work.
I just edited and published part I of Jonathan Gault's NCAA women's xc preview and was blown away by the following:
JGault wrote:
Yes. Last year the Bisons (I'll admit, I had to look up their nickname) made NCAAs for the first time in program history and finished a surprising 11th. Coach Nick Polk, who was hired in 2019, said it took several years for the program to reach this point, but it was a result he felt was possible after the team finished 10th at the Nuttycombe Invitational last season.
"I think just being able to slowly build something sustainable over time through recruiting the right kids was probably the biggest piece, the kids that fit Lipscomb University culturally," Polk said. "We didn’t have a single transfer on the line and we didn’t have a single international kid on the line."
11th at NCAAs with zero foreigners and zero transfers at a school most people have never heard of. That's SUPER impressive!!
So can we all agree that Nick Polk is our 2023 NCAA women's xc coach of the year? Afterall, I've been reading on this board nonstop for the last weeks that if you have overaged runners or foreigners or transfers, you are not coaching as you aren't developing talent - you're just buying it.
All right, let's figure out who gets the honor for the men.
It looks like the award goes to Jason Vigilante of Princeton. The Tigers were also 11th at NCAAs with no transfers, no foreigners and no overaged guys. Now Princeton gets LOTS of talent. Do we still want to give my alma mater the award?
I do think this would be fun every year at NCAAs we figure out who is #1 team with all-Americans, no transfers and no overaged guys/gals (although it might include no teams or just the top Ivy team given how prominent the portal is nowadays).
But congrats to Lipscomb. Amazing stuff. For the record, they do have a big transfer this year so it's not like they are opposed to it.
Lipscomb is currently recruiting at least 1 foreigner I know but a nice story.
Don't forget the Princeton mile record holder was recently set by Australian.
I just edited and published part I of Jonathan Gault's NCAA women's xc preview and was blown away by the following:
11th at NCAAs with zero foreigners and zero transfers at a school most people have never heard of. That's SUPER impressive!!
So can we all agree that Nick Polk is our 2023 NCAA women's xc coach of the year? Afterall, I've been reading on this board nonstop for the last weeks that if you have overaged runners or foreigners or transfers, you are not coaching as you aren't developing talent - you're just buying it.
All right, let's figure out who gets the honor for the men.
It looks like the award goes to Jason Vigilante of Princeton. The Tigers were also 11th at NCAAs with no transfers, no foreigners and no overaged guys. Now Princeton gets LOTS of talent. Do we still want to give my alma mater the award?
I do think this would be fun every year at NCAAs we figure out who is #1 team with all-Americans, no transfers and no overaged guys/gals (although it might include no teams or just the top Ivy team given how prominent the portal is nowadays).
But congrats to Lipscomb. Amazing stuff. For the record, they do have a big transfer this year so it's not like they are opposed to it.
Lipscomb is currently recruiting at least 1 foreigner I know but a nice story.
Don't forget the Princeton mile record holder was recently set by Australian.
Rojo doesn't care about Australians as they're white unless there aboriginal in which case he cares again
I don't know Nick Polk but everything I've heard about Nick Polk is that Nick Polk is one of the most impressive people in the sport if not the country.